3 Best Restaurants in East Jerusalem, Jerusalem

On a quiet alley off the main East Jerusalem thoroughfare, this white-tablecloth restaurant in a hotel by the same name has long been popular with journalists, NGO workers, and local families, who flock here for pizzas from the olive-wood-burning brick oven and Palestinian favorites. High wooden ceilings, stone walls, and a simple outdoor garden create a lovely setting perfect for groups of any size. Enjoy a glass of wine or local beer along with the tasty mansaf, a regional lamb dish cooked in yogurt; or the mulukhiya, an earthy vegetarian stew served over rice. Save a little room for the complimentary Arabic sweets and hot tea served at the end of the meal by friendly waiters.

Part coffee shop, part bookstore, this spot has an endless trove of literature exploring the Arab-Israeli conflict from a Palestinian perspective. Take a volume upstairs and peruse it over a lunch of a savory manaqeesh bread topped with thyme and olive oil, freshly made labaneh cheese, or salmon sandwiches. Turkish coffee is brewed fresh on an orange camping stove. Ask about upcoming lectures and movie screenings.

Steps from the Old City, this East Jerusalem landmark has been in business for decades—a thank-you note from President Jimmy Carter proves it. Traditional fare like stuffed carrots and onions, or musakhan chicken cooked in sumac and onions, show Palestinian home cooking at its finest. Starters like the hummus or the eggplant spread are reliably executed. If owner Zuheir Izhiman is around, ask him to share his years of local lore.